Six months’ maternity leave for new mothers, a “living wage”, a new network of town cycle routes and an extended Millennium Town Park could all be agreed in the next few years.
The proposals are some of the amendments that have been put to ministers’ Strategic Plan 2015-2018, as backbenchers try to grab their one main chance in the political calendar to shape the ministerial agenda.
Debate on the plan begins today, with the Chief Minister Ian Gorst setting out his Council of Ministers’ plans for the next three years. They have set four main priorities: Health and Well-being; Education; Economic Growth; and St Helier.
Senator Gorst has strong support in the States Chamber, and is expected to get through the vast majority of his proposals, and to successfully fight back against amendments that he and his council disagree with.
But the next few days will see long debates on several issues, as the non-ministers try to get their own ideas into departmental plans for the next three years.
In June, the States will take the next step of the process with a financial plan setting out taxes, charges and cuts over the next few years. That plan – called the Medium Term Financial Plan – will set out exactly how ministers plan to fill the £130 million black hole in States finances, and where the programme of cuts and new charges will fall.
The Council of Ministers has indicated ahead of the debate which of the main amendments they will accept, and which they will fight against.
The amendments they accept include:
The amendments that they plan to fight against:
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